COLLECTION OF MEMORABILIA THAT BELONGED TO ALBERT JOSEPH GAS - Lot 52

COLLECTION OF MEMORABILIA THAT BELONGED TO ALBERT JOSEPH GASTEIGER (1823–1890), KNOWN AS “GASTAGER KHAN,” DIRECTOR OF CIVIL AND MILITARY CONSTRUCTION FOR THE PERSIAN EMPIRE FROM 1860 TO 1888 DURING THE REIGN OF SHAH NASSER AL-DIN (1848–1896) (lots 52 through 52 E.). PERSIAN EMPIRE – QAJAR DYNASTY. MILITARY CAP KNOWN AS A “KOLAH,” made of blackened wool, featuring the coat of arms of the Qajar dynasty applied at its center, the Shir-o Khorshid (Lion and Sun), in gilded metal; the side panels each feature a lion’s head holding a gilded metal chain lined with yellow velvet; the chin strap is made of black lacquered leather. Lined with leather and silk velvet. With its ceremonial tassel made of green feathers, preserved in its original red cardboard case. Made in the second half of the 19th century. Height: 15 cm. Diameter: 18.5 cm. (Damage and missing parts). Included is a second cap of the same model but without decorative appliqués. Height: 17.5 cm. Diameter: 19.5 cm. (Damage and missing parts). History: Albert Joseph Gasteiger Khan (1823–1890), an Austrian engineer in the service of Nasser al-Din Shah, was one of the principal architects of the modernization of Qajar-era Persian infrastructure. In charge of the state’s civil and military construction projects, he oversaw major road and bridge construction projects, notably the Mazandaran Road. Promoted to the rank of general (Mir Panj) and honored with the title of Khan, he remains one of the few Europeans to have held such a prominent position within the 19th-century Persian administration.